An Essential Guide On How To Unlock iPhone's

Today’s the day you at long last completed the contract on your iPhone and it's officially all yours. That means you’re able to use it while traveling overseas with a domestic SIM card and have the freedom to move networks as you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Mexico or running to Sprint quite yet since, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straightforward.

So as to prevent users from transferring to a rival’s network before they’ve payed off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, a great deal of carriers put a SIM lock (commonly known as as a network lock) on their smart phones. This consequently guarantees that you, or whoever you sell your used iPhone to, are stuck with them for the long haul. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional working relationship, we’d have a tendency to agree with you. Thankfully, along with a little effort as well as an account in good standing, you can be well on your way to a carrier-unlocked iPhone before you know it!

Before we proceed, a quick note on the type of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should stay away from! There are apps available on the market that offer the ability to unlock your phone yourself, however you need to jailbreak your cellphone, and this is inadvisable, for a lot of reasons. You can do your own research into jail-breaking, but it's not a sensible choice, and to be avoided. The simplest way to unlock your iPhone is actually by talking directly with your wireless provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone depends largely on your network, with the procedure being either comparatively quick and easy or painfully challenging. To help you get one step closer to a life free from carrier-locked tyranny, we put together all the steps in order to obtain an iPhone unlock in this comprehensive guide. Please note that even though this was written with iPhone owners in mind, the majority of the advice can easily be used with other smartphones.

What Is SIM Unlocking?

As noted previously, when you purchase an iPhone or another smartphone from your network carrier, that device will still only operate on that specific network until you either request to have your service provider unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (more on that later). Also known as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, allowing you to use it with a different cellular provider.

Luckily, not all iPhones require unlocking. As an example, should you buy your iPhone from Apple and purchase it outright, it should already be unlocked and ready to use with a variety of carriers.

Please be aware, however, not all phones bought outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. For instance, although sold as “unlocked”, smartphone's purchased at Best Buy are actually considered universal. So, if you insert a SIM card for the first time, the device will essentially lock itself to the network associated with the Sim. Then, since certain service providers like T-Mobile may only unlock your iPhone if you purchased it directly from them, you could potentially end up getting an permanently carrier-locked device. In other words, you find yourself paying factory-unlocked prices to get a network-locked phone.

Why Should I Unlock My iPhone?

Having a SIM-unlocked iPhone comes with a good number of benefits including the flexibility to utilize (just about) any network in the Unites States and abroad together with increased second-hand values.

1. SIM-unlocking gives you the choice to use your mobile phone with the service provider of your choice, almost whenever and wherever you wish (with some exceptions, as you’ll find out in a while). As an example, if you are currently using T-Mobile but are moving to a new area of the country with bad T-Mobile coverage, you'll be able to switch to AT&T in a heartbeat




2. A Carrier-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a breeze. Unlocking also offers you the flexibility to use your mobile phone overseas. International roaming fees, costly international plans, and mad dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Just put in a SIM card from a local network and you're good to go.




3. Factory-unlocked iPhones have far higher resale values.

In the event you don’t plan on moving service providers or going overseas in the near future, unlocking your iPhone remains a good idea. If you plan on trading in your old iPhone when you upgrade, you’ll generally get more money for it if the iPhone has already been carrier unlocked due to greater demand for them in the resale market.

Is it against the law to Network Unlock your mobile phone?

No way! Due to Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014, all US-based cellular providers have to allow people to unlock their phones. However, the circumstances under which a provider will unlock a mobile phone vary greatly from network to network. Typically, nearly all service providers require you to complete your contract, pay for your financial obligations fully, or at a minimum have an account in good standing before they’ll assist you to unlock your iPhone.

How you can determine whether your iPhone is Unlocked

Prior to starting the network-unlocking process, you’ll first need to find out if your iPhone has already been unlocked (no need in dealing with the hassle if you don’t actually need to). All you have to do is be sure that you’re connected to WiFi and insert a brand-new SIM card from a different cellular provider and your mobile will do everything else automatically. This validation check typically takes less than a minute to finish after a Sim card has been inserted.

Throughout the verification process, you’ll observe that your iPhone will boot onto a white screen and try to authenticate that it has been unlocked with your carrier. If Apple verify that your iPhone is IMEI-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and service bars ought to appear from the new network. However, if a white screen appears that says SIM Not Supported, your smartphone has not been unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from a Provider

Having verified your cellphone is definitely locked to your current cellular provider, next you will need to take a look at your provider’s unlocking eligibility conditions. If your iPhone meets those unlocking guidelines, you can ask that the handset can be unlocked from their network. As recommended before, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from company to company. Each has been outlined below for the major carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.

Please be aware that, as long as you have met the unlock requirements and so are completing the network-unlocking directly with your network, requesting that your iPhone be unlocked can be absolutely free. If you choose to go through a third party unlocking service, you're going to be charged, but using a third party provider will be your only option if you are not the original owner of the phone. Before you spend any money, try using the directions below as a first step.

Find An iPhone’s IMEI Number

When permanently-unlocking your iPhone, you will need to give your provider the mobiles IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is effectively your mobile phone’s VIN or social security number. To locate your IMEI, on your phone, go to Settings > General > About and search to the bottom section where it will be listed displayed next to IMEI.

You can also look for the number on the phone housing itself. For older iPhone models (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the IMEI number may also be branded on the back or the SIM tray.

When you’ve established the IMEI, it highly advisable that you store it someplace for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking your iPhone from AT&T is about as simple as it gets. Just run on over to the AT&T site, answer a few easy questions, and you’re well on your way to carrier-unlocked freedom.

When you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to review your AT&T unlock status. After you receive your confirmation text or email, just open it up then click on the verification link. That’s it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone in just a couple of working days.

For any iPhone to get unlocked from AT&T, it needs to fulfill the following requirements:

• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or blocked
• Must not have a past-due balance
• Must not be active on a different AT&T account
• If it is a work phone, you must have your employer’s permission to unlock it
• If it is an AT&T PREPAID phone, it must be active for at least six months

If your iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it has to also meet these requirements:

• The installment plan must be paid off
• The term agreement must be complete
• The device must be active on the AT&T network for at least 60 days

For detailed eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Dependent on when you purchased your phone and if it has SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a couple of different unlock choices. If you purchased a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it should be SIM-unlock capable) and it's actively being used on their network, Sprint can unlock it automatically once it meets their eligibility requirements. So, you actually don’t have to do anything at all besides keep your account in good order. However, if your iPhone hasn't been activated or was purchased before February 2015, you’ll need to speak to Sprint Customer Care directly to ask for an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or call 888-211-4727).

There are reports from some Sprint clients that the auto-unlock program doesn't necessarily perform as it should, so it’s most certainly a good idea to verify that your iPhone has been unlocked before trying to change to another network or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you propose to sell it to a buyback business or on auction web sites.

In order for an iPhone to be unlocked from the Sprint network, it has to meet the following requirements:

• Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or associated with fraud
• Must have SIM-unlock capabilities (if it doesn’t, it is MSL (Master Subsidy Lock) locked and you will need to call Sprint for the MSL code)
• Must be active on the Sprint network for at least 40 days
• Must be on an account in good standing

If the iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it must also satisfy these conditions:

• Any early-termination fees must be fully paid
• Any lease or installment payments must be fully paid
• If leased, the end-of-lease purchase option must be fully paid

For precise eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If your reading this and own an Android mobile phone and your device satisfies the eligibility conditions, consider yourself in luck: You can actually unlock it easily from the device itself. For all you iPhone owners out there, you’ll need to get in touch with T-Mobile’s Team of Experts directly (either dial 611 from your T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

For an iPhone to be unlocked from T-Mobile, it has got to satisfy the following prerequisites:

• Must not have been reported as lost, stolen, or blocked
• For prepaid accounts, it must have been active on the account for at least 12 months
• Must have been purchased directly from T-Mobile
• Must be paid for in full

If the iPhone is part of a postpaid plan, it has to also adhere to the following conditions:

• Must have been active on the account for at least 40 days
• The account must be in good standing

For in-depth eligibility prerequisites, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, without a doubt, the top carrier to use for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone 60 days after the purchase of the handset. If you obtained your iPhone from a retail partner, it will be unlocked automatically Sixty days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, satisfy any special conditions, or even get in touch with them to ask to unlock your phone from their network. So long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, just wait a couple of months following purchase or activation and your phone will be a-ok.

Don’t believe us? Just click here.

Once I've Unlocked my iPhone — now what?

In the old days, you’d have to hook your iPhone to iTunes and perform a software restore in order to complete the unlock process. Thankfully, it’s much simpler these days. All you need to do is go through same steps you used earlier to determine if your phone had been unlocked to begin with.

If you don’t have access to a Sim from an alternative carrier, you can still confirm that a iPhone has been unlocked using an iTunes software restore. Simply connect your iPhone to a computer running iTunes and press the “restore” option. After the restoration process has finished, you will see a message that says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Congratulations! You successfully factory-unlocked your iPhone! Which means you can use whatever service provider you wish to now, right? We hate to tell you this, but no. Because of the two different types of systems in use in the Unites States, CDMA and GSM, your available cell providers depends on the model of your iPhone as well as the original network it's locked to. Primarily, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and most service providers in other countries are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you may have guessed, both these different network types don't talk to each other (because that would be too easy). Thankfully, as we move closer to world wide 5G access and as older networks are phased out, this will hopefully no longer be a major problem.

To find out which carriers you can access determined by these two factors, continue reading.

AT&T

GSM networks only (AT&T, T-Mobile, international GSM carriers): Original iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Sprint

International networks only: iPhone 4s and iPhone 5

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

T-Mobile

GSM networks only (AT&T, T-Mobile, international GSM carriers): Original iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Verizon

Compatible with any carrier in the world, but with limitations when using GSM networks: iPhone 4s, iPhone 5

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Is the Unlock permanent?

Yes indeed! After your phone has been factory-unlocked, it will remain that way for the lifetime of the device. It is possible to restore your iPhone or up-date apps without having to worry about your unlock disappearing afterwards.